Brave the Journey
by Dukepearl
Summary: Emma and Killian are separated...again. And this time, it's the captain who must plunge into the portal and take the journey into another realm. He will do his best to get back to Emma, with the help of a certain...fiery...young woman, who goes by the name of Merida. Can he escape the lands of the Clan Dunbroch? Or will the witch get the better of him?
1. Into the Portal

_A/N: Hey everyone! This is the first story I'm posting on here, so I hope you all will like it! I thought it might be nice to have Killian go on an adventure for once, so we will see how it goes :) The chapters will get longer as I go along, I promise, the first few are just to get the story going. Please comment what you all think! -Leslie_

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 **Killian's POV**

I gulp as I look up at the perfectly curved piece of metal that's embedded in the ground. My trembling hand clutched in her shaking ones. Both my arms burn with the strain of holding on, but those arms are the one thing keeping me with the one person I can't bear to lose again. As much as it pains me to, I tilt my head up the slightest bit until my eyes meet those of the person looking over the edge of the portal, tears welling up in the corners of those brilliant eyes.

"Emma!" I call out, my voice so stressed from the intense, fiery pain that even I can hardly hear it, "I can't take this anymore. You have to let go of me!"

She stares back at me, sadness glittering in the sparkling green depths of her eyes. I know how hard this is for her, because my poor love has lost everyone she ever cared about. I should know that pain best, for that same experience has happened to me. Struggling against the portal hurts less than just seeing that awful ache in her face, and knowing that she is feeling it deep down in her chest, because her heart was my job to protect. And even if I have to walk through hell, I will get back to her, if only to save her from a broken heart, which can be the worst torture of all.

"Swan, I promise. You don't have to worry about me. I'm a survivor, remember?" I say with a crooked, forced smile in a feeble attempt to lighten up the situation. I receive a halfhearted smile in return. "Just let go. I'll be back, I swear!" I tell her, and the single tear that slips down her cheek just about cracks my heart in half.

"I trust you, Killian," Emma says as she tenses, preparing to let go. "I believe you, and I believe in you. I-I love you." That last part she says in a whisper, now sobbing in earnest. I've never really thought about it before, but I realize now that the reason we understand each other is that we are both the same...both orphans who have lost everyone close to us and have never stayed in one place our entire lives. And I remember something Emma once told me, something she had learned from another lost love: "Home is the place that, when you leave it, you just miss it." And they say "home is where the heart is," right? And in that case, my home wasn't a place. The home of my heart was Emma Swan. And right in that moment, she let go of my hand and I wrenched my hook out of the ground, and I caught one last glimpse of her beautiful face, marred by the tracks of the tears still falling. And then she was gone, and I had never missed her more. And so I plummeted down into the swirling depths, and the only thing I could think about was home.

 **The Enchanted Forest**

I tumble through the grey mist of the portal, until I come to an abrupt stop, standing in a green, grassy land. It is not one that I think I have seen, not even from years of traveling different realms.

"Where am I?" I ask myself, for there's no one else around to talk to. The space is oddly quiet, with its beautiful rolling hills to my left, and, only a few yards away to my right, a path through a forest. On the off chance that I am in the Enchanted Forest, and that this path could lead me somewhere that I am familiar with, I decide to follow it. I walk to the entrance of the woods, and halt right before the path, reluctant to enter. For all I know, there is a hideous beast waiting there to attack.

For Emma, I remind myself, and I step on to the well-trodden path. Nothing happens, so I continue to walk, and when still all is silent, I start a jog. The path only branches off once, and I continue on the section I am already on. But before I know it, the path has come to an end. I emerge out of the forest, only to find myself looking up at a giant waterfall spilling majestically down a rocky cliff. I must've taken the wrong turn on that path. I study the waterfall, trying to figure out how tall it is...maybe I could scale it for a good vantage point? And as I study it, a strange flicker of feeling tickles at the base of my skull. Something I can't quite place, but it almost seems like I've been here before. I try to shake it off, ignore it, and focus on something else, but while I was distracted, someone had crept up behind me. I hear one footstep and start to turn around, but it is already too late. There is a thump, an ache spreads across the back of my head, my vision goes black, and I collapse onto the ground, unconscious.


	2. Recognition

_A/N: Hi! So I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, even if it was pretty short. I'm sorry, after this one, they'll be much longer! I really like writing from inside Merida's head, she's a great character, but let me know what you all think. I'll update again soon :) -Leslie_

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 **Merida's POV**

Angus lowers his leg as I look down at the stranger, sure that there must now be a large horseshoe-shaped mark on the back of his head.

"Nice one, Angus!" I exclaim, looking fondly at the horse. "That should do it. We'd better get him back to the stables, I want to talk with him before we take him to ma and dad," I say, patting the horse's neck. I bend over and slip my hands under the stranger's back. As I get nearer, I notice something that I didn't catch before. This man, intimidating enough with his black leather clothes and his eyeliner, also has a hook for his left hand. Now a little more scared, I move one arm under his shoulders and the other under his knees, then pick him up. He is surprisingly light, so I lay him over Angus's saddle and then mount the horse myself.

"Angus, go!" I urge, and before I know it we're galloping through the forest. I grin as I feel the wind whipping through my hair, loving the exhilaration of this new adventure. I hold the reins in one hand and support the man in front of me with the other, my bow and quiver still slung over my shoulder from my unfinished practice. After what seems like only a few minutes, we arrive at the stables. I dismount smoothly, then heft the stranger off my horse's back and prop him up against the wall. I get Angus all settled, and I pat his flank as he tosses his head and knickers.

I walk back across the well-worn dirt floor to where the stranger is. I worry that it will be a few hours until he wakes up, but just as that thought crosses my mind, he blinks his eyes sleepily and glances around the stable in confusion. His clear blue eyes alight on me and focus, and I can see a slight tinge of weariness and hurt in the hard edges of his face. This man seems to have been through a lot.

"Hello, lass," the man says, and before I realize what's going on, he's got the tip of that sharp hook at my throat, his other hand clutched on my arm. "Who are you, where am I, and what do you want?" He growls at me. I start shaking, and I want to hit myself for not anticipating this. I can be so stupid sometimes!

I struggle, trying to force the hook away from my neck, but to no avail. I decide I'd better answer him, so, voice quavering, I respond, "I'm Merida. I'm princess of the Clan Dunbroch, my parents are Queen Elinor and King Fergus. We're in the stables, right by the castle, in the Enchanted Forest. All I want is to know what you're doing here." As I finish, his grip on my arm falters and his hook lifts a little bit away from my neck. I stare at him in astonishment.

"Dunbroch?" He repeats incredulously, his voice dripping with anger. "It can't be...and you, the princess? Your whole family, those filthy traitors. How can you stand it?" He snarls.

"Hey, woah," I say, holding up my hands in a feeble attempt to placate him as I move backwards, just out of his reach. I'm about to speak, to calm him when a red-hot wave of anger washes over me. This man, this stranger, had just insulted my family, and I don't even know who he is! He has no right to be doing that.

"And just who are you to be saying such things? These people are my family, you know," I fire back, my cheeks reddening. "I spared your life. I could've killed you back there, and this is how you repay me?" I'm breathing heavily now, glaring back at the man who's staring into my eyes with an absurd amount of disdain and hate. That look, it's truly infuriating.

The man, rather than exploding as I thought he would, turns deadly calm. "Who am I?" He whispers, and somehow, it's ten times more terrifying than it would've been if he'd shouted. "Who am I?" Louder this time. "I am Killian Jones, but people these days prefer to call me by my more colorful moniker...Captain Hook." He raises an eyebrow, as if he expects me to know who he is.

At first, I'm at a loss. But then I gasp, because suddenly I remember an old story, a story my father used to tell me when I was a child, the kind that parents use to warn their kids what not to do when they get older. This particular story had been about a young prince of the Clan Dunbroch, who was the younger of two brothers, and who grew to join the royal army. But when his brother, named Liam, died, a death I was told was of noble origin, the prince became a villain, and became the most feared pirate in all the realms.

He seems to sense the recognition, and nods smugly. "Aye," he says, "I bet they told you a wonderful tale, how your family were the victims, about how I was the evil, cruel, bad guy in the story?"

I dip my head in acknowledgement. "Yes," I reply, not knowing where the pirate is going with this tale, for now, it is obvious that this is the pirate of that story, even if it took place about 300 years ago.

"What they didn't want to mention," Killian explains with venom in his voice, "is that it was all their fault. That your family, your ancestors, weren't even the original royals of this clan. Let me tell you what really happened," Hook says, and he begins to tell the story...


End file.
